I Wonder If They Know
by LotsOfLove
Summary: L&L. It's Thanksgiving. And they're apart. But they're dealing with it. And their minds can't seem to wander away from thinking about this other this holiday.


**Author's Note:** I know this is late, but it was just a little one-shot I did on Thanksgiving and I thought I'd post it here when I got the chance.

* * *

Yams. Where the hell did he put the yams? He had them in his hand just a minute ago, but had to put them down to answer the phone. Anna had called to wish him a happy Thanksgiving before they had to leave to go to her parents house for dinner. She had put April on the phone so they could talk too. He had hoped that maybe they would have been able to spend Thanksgiving together, just the three of them, but Liz and TJ had invited him over for Thanksgiving months ago anyway. And he had volunteered to bring the rolls and the candied yams. But now he couldn't find those damn yams!

He searched everywhere, already irritated because if he didn't leave soon he would not just be a little late, but he'd be I'm-so-late-I-can't-even-use-the-fashionably-late-excuse late.

"Aha! I found you, you pesky yams," he thought as he spotted them on top of the refrigerator. As irritable as he was for running late, he was in a bit of a playful mood. Things with April were good, Liz was getting closer and closer to her due date, there hadn't been any big problems at the diner since the "Thunderbird" incident," and things were pretty good in his life for the first time in a long time.

He went downstairs. Walking though the empty diner was what did it. It reminded him of who should have been there with him that day.

No. He wasn't about to let his good mood be ruined with yet another thought wanting her with him, when he knew that she would be with him today.

He made it through to the truck. After staring it up and getting on the road, he tried to find a CD, a good song on the radio, anything do distract him from his thoughts. But there was no way to hide.

His mind slowly began to drift off into years before, all the times Rory and her would come in, how he looked forward to it more than any other part of the day. How he would sit there in amazement, watching them eat when he knew they were almost stuffed to capacity. How everyone seemed a little closer, a little friendlier, how much he enjoyed that feeling, especially with her.

Pulling up in the driveway, he began to get that kind of sad, longing feeling again. As much as she had done, as much that had happened, he still wanted her back. He missed how they were, not just romantically, but when they were friends. Even then, they had a different kind of relationship. It was special. They were so... connected, he knew. He had always known.

Standing at the door, waiting to be let in, waiting to have a good dinner with his family, even with his life being fine at that point, he couldn't help but let his mind ponder something.

_I wonder if she knows... just how much I miss her._

* * *

It was yet another Gilmore celebration. Except that year, she could tell that her parents were being more cheery than usual. And it was obvious why. It was their first Thanksgiving as a married couple. Her and Christopher, that is.

It was just a family event that year, with only her parents, Rory, and her husband.

Husband. That sounded nice. The word sounded nice in her mind. And she was happy it had to do with her for once.

Of course, just because it was only family, it wasn't any less extravagant. Her parents had pulled out all the stops they would normally save for only their most important parties.

Her father had already carved the turkey, or at least the one piece, and she was glad that he didn't try to involve Christopher or anything. She didn't want to have him try, only to find that he had never carved a turkey or something before.

Hm, she thought as everything was being passed around, that's weird. I don't even know if he's ever carved a turkey.

Of course, as soon as food was being passed to her from all angles, she was soon distracted from her thoughts. She began to eat and didn't take a break for ten minutes. Only then did she pause to make some conversation.

Her parents were surprisingly... pleasant. They didn't make any sarcastic remarks showing their disapproval, or anything else of the like. She was thinking of having them submitted to the closest mental hospital.

Oh well. Who cares why they're being human for once, might as well enjoy it, she thought as she dug in yet again.

At last, the food was gone, and it was time to go in the living room to wait while the maids cleaned up and finished the pumpkin pie.

She slowly got up, feeling stuffed but still anticipating the pie, and began to walk to the living room, with Christopher's arm around her.

After a few minutes, Chris and her father got in a business conversation, and her thoughts began to wander. But they went to places she didn't want them to go.

As good as everything was in her life then, she couldn't help wondering what she would be doing if she was with Luke. She figured he was probably with Liz and TJ, having a good time. And she wanted him to. But still...a little part of her wanted to believe that he was still pining for her. Just a little bit.

But why would he, she began to think. After all she did, after all that went on, why would he still want her? He had said it himself, those many months ago. That they weren't meant to be together. Deep down, she knew that was as much of a lie as he did, but nevertheless, he had said it.

As the fantasy she had of him still pining for her slowly began to drift away, she began to think more about the early years. When they were friends.

She had always known that they had a special kind of friendship. That they had a connection. Like he had told her, he was always there for her. He cared about her.

That kind of care just didn't go away.

And she cared about him just as much. In that same special way. And she always would. She would always be there for him, no matter what happened, and he must have known that, or else he wouldn't have called him a few days ago when April got sick.

Right after she had hung up the phone that day, right after she had left the hospital, she had realized that how much she had been longing for him. Just hearing his voice, just seeing him, she had gotten the feeling once again, and she couldn't fight it.

But then he saw the ring. Oh god, when he saw the ring, she just wanted to die. But, somehow, she knew he would be okay. That's just the way he was...

She was quickly pulled out of her trance as her mother loudly announced that the pumpkin pie was ready.

"Mom? Heloooo? Are you okay?" Rory had seen that spaced-out look in her eyes even after they had began to go back to the dining room.

"Oh. Yeah, hon, I'm fine," she said as Christopher politely held out her chair for her. She grinned at him.

She had plenty of people who cared about her. And it wasn't like she was totally miserable with Chris, either. But still, as she slowly took her first bite of pie, she couldn't help but let her mind ponder something, for just a moment.

_I wonder if he knows... just how much I miss him._


End file.
